Automatic signaling device for motor vehicles



Feb. 7, 1933.

F. H. A. LCOLLE AUTOMATIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Feb. 14, 1929 F/fO/vr 0,7340/1 WHEEL.

OF VEHICLE Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED Sr'ri-:S "PATENT t mammina 'HENRI 'ALBERT `ra'iconnn, QEVINCENNES, FRANCE 1 AUTOMATIC SIGNIKLING DEVICE FOfR VEHICLES d I Afrppllicattonled February 14, 1929, SerialvNo. 339,848, and in France February H16, 1928. i

There are available a great'man'y apparatus carried by motor vehicles,which are adapted tol indicate the various movements such ve- "Such apparatus as have beenlprod'uced up to the present require the driver to perform a warning operation (push button contacts,

` levers, pedals, etc.) 'in i order to` indicate f 'changes in direction, slowing down or stoppingeand, on account of the intricacy of the apparatus, it frequently happens thatv some drivers 'forget' to notify theA movements they A are performing or preparing to perform, or elsegive wrong or j-na'ccurate indications.

This invention has for its object an japparatus whereby signaling may be effected automatically and independently of thedrivers will, suchmapparatus making 'any wrong operation impossible and avoiding such accidentsas might result therefrom.

The drawing appended hereto shows, by wayc of example, a preferred embodiment of 4 the'apparatus referred to.

" Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional 5 view.

P their return springswhich, at the same time, act as contact members. f M f Figure2isia fragmentary top plan view showing thearrangement of the pawls with Figure3 isa detail view showing the device whereby successive signals may` beproduced, which draw thega'ttenti'onof the drivers of thevehicles'behind at' the time when the vehicle provided with the signaling apparatus referred to begins to eii'ect a change in direction;A 1

z The apparatus consists" essentially of a y frame'l provided with'bosses 2, .3 and4, .the

` number of which maybe therequirements.

` Secured to these bosses 2, 3 and 4, by means of countersunk screws 5, are disks 6, 7 and v 8 made of 'an insulating material, upon which are fixed disks 9,10 and 1l which are connected bymeans of conductor wires W1 W2 W3 to. a casing C provided with signaling members L1 L2 L3 of known type; 'Y

4Housedin boss 4 isa ball Vbearing 12 which servesasl a support for a'shaft 13' on one end of which there is secured a disk 14 provided which Will likewise bedescribed hereinafter.

varied according to` i l scribedabove Thesepawls 15 and 15- opat appoint on itssurfacewith a pawl 15housed in a suitably shaped opening in which it may 'rotate through avcertain angleaboutI a pin 16 whicliserves to hold it in position.

Said pawl15 is combined with a leaf spring 55 17 secured laterally4 at 18 onv disk 14 land provided at the freeend thereof with a platini'zed screw l19 or other'suita'ble contacty member the .1;

by departing from the scope of the invention. ...ug

Provided 'at' the inner endof'shaft 13 isa recess 20 adapted to receive the related end of 6 anv intermediate lloose shaft or stud21"on which there is mounted to rotatey freely a 22 provided 'at the periphery thereof ywith Liz fingers 23 finsuitable number, the function of The end 'of shaft .13 projects at,27 into'a bushing 28 and is provided with a'slot or the like adapted to receive a connecting member (cable, rod, universal'joint, etcj) vupon the end of which'there is secured a pulley, wheel, or pinion (not shown), mounted so as to be rotated by the brake drums or any other part ofthefront or rear wheels, or even bythe 1.5.1

differentialgear or thegrearaxles Arranged opposite to disk 414 and symmetricallyfthereto is a second disk 24 keyed onthe 'end of a'sh'aft' 25 which likewise is supported in a ball bearing 26` in boss3.

The free end 27 of said shaft projects through boss 2 and is located within al bushing 28. Like the end 27, said end 27 is' connected to a moving part of the vehicle.

f Disk .24 is provided,like disk 14;.with one 90 or more` pawls 15 similar to pawl15 1de'- erate in yreverse directions with respect to each other.

At 17 there'is a leaf springwhich'iscoml' 95 bined with pawl 15 and arranged symmetrically toleaf spring 17. v y

l Formed in shaft 25 in that portion of the v one Vend 'thereof with a contact disk 32 adapted to revolve freely on a spindle 32'; said disk being normally pressed against the periphery of collar 11 by means of a spring 331wound around the stem of rod 30 Vand [bearing at one end against an abutment member'34 and at the other end against the shoulder provided in the hole 29 above mentioned. The tension of said spring may at will be adjusted'by acting upon member 34. There Y is thus provided an automatic contactor which becomes'operative under the actionof lcentrifugal Vforcefas will be explained hereinafter.

The unit thus constructed and assembled will preferably be enclosed in a housing (not shown) secured, for instance, on cheeks 35. As explained above, contact-s 9, 10 and l1 1 2are connected through conductor wires to theV casing C of the V signaling apparatus proper, the lamps L1 L2 LS of which are `included yin the electric circuits Wi W2 W3 to the battery B. When the circuit W3 being closed, the engagement between disk or head 32 and contact 11 lights lamp L3 `which will indicate the operation (stopping, slowing down or change in direction) to be performed by the driver.

Onthe starting of the vehicle and while the speed thereof increases and the shafts 13V and'25 rotate more rapidly, when a given and variable speed is attained, the contactor 30, together with its head or disk 32 acting as a counterweight, is moved outward under Athe eifect ofthe speed, thus compressing the spring 33 and breaking Vthe circuit. The related. lamp is then put out. When'the car lon the outer side rotate with greater speed' Vslows down, the spring 33 pulls back the contacter which, as it does not meet the same resistance, comes again into engagement with contact i11 `and lights up thel related lamp, thus drawing thev attention of the drivers of the cars behind.

On the car beginning to turn, as they Wheels than thoseV on vthe innerside,` they impart V through transmission meansv an identical rotation vto each disk the swifterk of which drives, through pawl or pawls 15, the loose ring 22 which in turn pushes the pawl of the opposite disk, the latter pawl being revVersedwith respect to the first one and acting at thattime to push against spring 17 or r17 and close, by means of its platinum screw, the circuit VVg-by which the related signal L2 is lit'up. At the end of they signal, one of the fingers of ring 22 escapes the pawl, whereupon'the spring 17 or 17 acting as a return device, brings back to its original position the pawlwhich, on being picked up again by the next'finger of ring 22, pushes again the spring 17 or 17 whereby the lamp of the ysignal islightedfeach time, this taking place during the whole time of the change vin direction.

When the turning ofthe vehicle is commore imparted to both disks 14 and 24, thus annihilating the eliect of the wheels upon limitative character and that variousdesirable .constructional alterations. fm'ay*y be pleted, as both wheels of the vehicle assume 'the same speed, an equal movement is once '70Y the pawls 17 or 17 simply because they can- "hereinabove describedfis by no means .of'any brought thereto without departing fromrthe scope of thev invention. v

Iclaimy l 1 A 'signaling device `for motor vehicles,

comprising Atwo indicating members, 4.signal circuits therefor, a pairrof independently rog g tatable disks adapted tovbe driven by the wheelsv of the vehicle, a movable contact on each disk, a fixed contact adapted to vbe engaged with the' movable Contact to close one vof the signal circuits, and means for actuat- 'f' ing each movable contact.

2. A signaling device as set forthin claim 1, comprising a member located` between the disks and having'means adapted to bedriven by the contact-actuating. means of one disk and to vdrive the contact-actuating means of theother disk. f

3. A signaling device'as set forth in claim 1, comprising a wheel loosely mounted between the two disks and having radiating vtransmission members adapted to be engaged and driven by the contact-actuating means of one diskl and to engage and drive the contact-actuating means of the other disk. v 4. A signaling device vas set forthin claim 1, comprisingv a third indicating member, a Y

signal circuit ther.efor,`rand means operable by centrifugal force for closingnthe signal circuit. 'l

5. A signaling device 1, comprising a member located between ytheV disks and having vmeans adapted to be driven by the contact-actuating means of'` one disk and to drive the contactactuating means of the other disk, the member 'comprising a wheel provided with a peripheral seriesof radial fingers adapted to act in succession to engage the contact-actuating means.

i, 6. A signaling device for motor vehicles, comprisingtwo indicating members, signal circuits therefor, a `pair of independently rotatable disks adaptedto be driven bythe wheels of the vehicle, aspring contact car# ried byeach disk, a fixed contact diskad- V as Vsetfo'rth in claim jacent each rotatable disk for engaging the adjacent movable Contact and thereby close one of the signal circuits, a pivoted actuating member carried by each rotatable disk in L,p0- sition to engage the corresponding movable Contact and force it against the corresponding Xed contact disk, the VtWo movable conltacts and their actuating members being reversely arranged With respect to each other, and a member rotatable between the tWo rotatable disks and having means adapted t0 be engaged and driven by the contact-actuating means of one disk and to engage and drive the contact-actuating means of the other disk.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

FERNAND HENRI ALBERT LCOLLE. 

